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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034142">Flowers, Bees, Wolves and a Wild Girl</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearns/pseuds/hearns'>hearns</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Picard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Androids, Bedtime Stories, F/F, F/M, Gen, Letters, M/M, Multi, Stress Relief, Teen Angst, The Borg</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:54:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26034142</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hearns/pseuds/hearns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Soji and Kestra share correspondence about their lives.  <br/>With the events of the Cappilius Synths and the xBs becoming an important force in the Federation and New Romulan Empire, these two young women start to see the impact of recent events upon their lives.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Soji Asha &amp; Elnor, Soji Asha &amp; Kestra Troi-Riker, Soji Asha/Narek</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1 - messages and stories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first ST:P fic. I have worked hard to keep the canon straight. </p>
<p>I decided to write a story that is sort of filler for the first end of the season. I did a dive into the expanded lore of the series to fill in the stuff that we didn’t see on screen. </p>
<p>Part of this is from Soji's point of view, the rest is from Kestra's. </p>
<p>I hope you enjoy.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Soji Asha sat with a PADD in her hands. It had been a few days with everything that had taken place. A funeral had been had for Saga. It was strange having a funeral for her, but they also had ones for Data and for Maddox. Both of Her Fathers.</p>
<p>Data, her “biological” father and Altan Inigo's Brother.</p>
<p>And Maddox, the man who was technically her Uncle and helped bring her and her sister in to the universe."</p>
<p>Then they had one for Dahj.</p>
<p>Her sister.</p>
<p>Soji swallowed.</p>
<p>She tried to fight back a tear, but it came loose.</p>
<p>She had experienced so much death in her short life, but also the fact she also had a large family too.</p>
<p>Brothers, sisters, cousins.</p>
<p>All forged from the neurons from her father Data.</p>
<p>Some of them were based on the people of the ancient D'Arsay civilization. While others were forged from the memories of the people of the colony of Omicron Theta.</p>
<p>It led to an interesting cultural memory being formed for the Synths.</p>
<p>Altan had removed the block from her mind and her life from before came rushing back to her.</p>
<p>The Mask festival of the Ancient D'Arsay culture had become the Synths and Soji had enjoyed it with Dahj.</p>
<p>Her sister had been real.</p>
<p>She had worn the mask of “the river” and Dahj wore "the Valley" mask. All this was before they had changed their skin tones and left with Maddox.</p>
<p>That picture that she had torn in two had been real.</p>
<p>Altan telling her that only the backgrounds were fake in some of the more "Current" ones where she and Dahj had been playing around just being sisters.</p>
<p>39 months old, and had been made with Dahj on a holodeck of places they both had wanted to actually visit.</p>
<p>Elnor had found her Quarters on the Artifact and brought the photographs from her room.</p>
<p>Even though they were partially fake, they were the only thing she had left of her sister.</p>
<p>The childhood ones. Well, the situations had been constructed from her actual memories and the holo-images of children were put in to give her a practical backstory.</p>
<p>Soji was working through her emotional state.</p>
<p>Fake, Real. A mix of the two constructed with the tech of a holosuite.</p>
<p>The only person who hadn’t lied to her had been Kestra Troi-Riker.</p>
<p>Her youthful awe and innocence had helped Soji through a rough time of her coming to terms with who and what she was.</p>
<p>She too had been part of a Dyad.</p>
<p>She had lost one half of her like Soji’s.</p>
<p>Kestra had lost her brother Thad and traces of his existence echoed throughout her and her parents’ home.</p>
<p>Both had that primal hurt.</p>
<p>It was like a software error-</p>
<p>Memory error.</p>
<p>And yet the pain in her eyes was the same as Soji's and she didn't need telepathy or a subspace frequency to interface with those thoughts and files.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath into her synthetic lungs she started to write.</p>
<p>She just needed to get this out.</p>
<p>Troi had helped her with creating a healing narrative.</p>
<p>Like the one she tried to do with the xBs.</p>
<p>Soji was a synthetic in origins, but her life was real, she was real.</p>
<p>Real was a frame of mind.</p>
<p>She was a real girl with real emotions, real pain, who had lost a really real sister.</p>
<p>She wasn't a human, she was a Cappailain.</p>
<p>A flesh and blood humanoid who-,</p>
<p>Had a civilization.</p>
<p>Had a history.</p>
<p>Had a narrative.</p>
<p>Fuck it.</p>
<p>She wasn't golden skinned. She and her sister Dahj had thought of themselves as human.</p>
<p>In truth they weren’t.</p>
<p>She needed a narrative to help herself heal and she needed to talk with another who had lost part of her dyad.</p>
<p>Might as well start with the one that she had begun on Nepenthe.</p>
<p>It would be a mess, but the emotion of the events she was feeling needed to be voiced.</p>
<p>Kestra... The Wild Girl</p>
<p>Deanna - of the Mind Witches, Healer of Souls.</p>
<p>William - The Wise Adviser and friend.</p>
<p>"Begin Recording."</p>
<hr/>
<p>Kestra walked into the Troi-Riker homestead from doing some hunting. Thad’s birthday would be tomorrow. Kestra knew that her mother was going to have it the hardest. Being a full empath and sensing every emotion from Kestra during these times really tore into her.</p>
<p>Hearing what her mother was dealing with after Admiral Picard showed up at their home had caused her to be more understanding.</p>
<p>That and Meeting Soji.</p>
<p>Soji had been through the same crap with the loss of a sibling.</p>
<p>That and being an Synth with Telepathic shielding had helped her mom grieve less about Thad.</p>
<p>Telepathic Shielding.</p>
<p>Kestra grinned at that.</p>
<p>The ability to keep secrets from a telepathic people.</p>
<p>Like her mom.</p>
<p>Oh, the things she could get away with that gift.</p>
<p>That was when she saw a blinking light on the communications system.</p>
<p>Kestra's dad had returned to Star Fleet to aid Picard in his mission and her mom had stayed on the planet to keep her safe.</p>
<p>Now as she walked over to see who the messages were from, she saw that there were three.</p>
<p>One from her dad and-</p>
<p>"Mom!!!" Kestra called out her voice cutting out as the importance of these messages presented themselves to her.</p>
<p>Her mother looked worried and scared as she rushed into the room.</p>
<p>she rushed over to see Kestra over the home communications terminal.</p>
<p>"Kestra... what is it?"</p>
<p>"Mom... there is a message from Dad... and."</p>
<p>"And what?" Her Empath mother looked beyond worried.</p>
<p>Like she was about to get news that Dad had died...</p>
<p>But No... this was different.</p>
<p>She gave her answer.</p>
<p>"Soji."</p>
<p>"Soji." Her mother's brain had to keep up to realize, that this wasn't fear she was sensing from her daughter. Fear yes, but also. Excitement.</p>
<p>Soji was okay.</p>
<p>But what about her people?</p>
<p>That was Kestra's biggest fear.</p>
<p>Were Soji's people okay?</p>
<p>But her mom was on edge.</p>
<p>Message from Dad first.</p>
<p>Maybe it was good news.</p>
<p>Mom needed good news.</p>
<p>"Mom... Let's go through the one from Dad first." Kestra stated as she realized that her mother was fearing the worst about her Dad.</p>
<p>Her mother nodded.</p>
<p>Kestra played the message.</p>
<p>"Deanna, Kestra... I am okay. Picard defiantly needed the help. We had a bit of a verbal spat about me being there; but after I stated that he asked for help. I brought help; he relented." There was some joy in her father's voice. But the look on her mother was of pure relief.</p>
<p>"Picard is doing First Contact. There are going to be a lot of reports. So Soji and her people are going to be fine. additionally, there is a colony made up of former Borg, Artifact research Scientists and Fenris Rangers that are going to help the Synths get used to organics. It is not ideal, but it is what is needed.</p>
<p>"Soji finally found out what the mission for her and her sister were doing. It seems like Maddox prior to his death was looking for a First Contact group of Synths that went missing right after they built a warp capable ship. When they went missing Soji and her sister were sent out to find their lost people alongside Maddox. Guess they found out who ordered the disappearance and murder of their people and destroying Maddox’s dreams and legacy of completing Soong's work."</p>
<p>Then her father added.</p>
<p>"Star Fleet is looking over its Intelligence Division to overhaul and weed out the corruption and outside infiltration that has taken root that led to this mess. Even the Romulan Government is pissed too at learning that a Cult made up of Rogue Tal Shiar is running around with significant Romulan firepower. The revelation of the damage that Romulan Cult caused to much their civilization with the attack on Mars is still ripping though their community. But there is worry about the <em>Khalagu Children</em> wanting revenge as the Romulans are calling Soji's kin for the frame committed against them by this cult. I guess that things are going to be a little hectic for a while with both sides cleaning up the mess.</p>
<p>“Soji asked that a statement be released that <em>khalagu</em> will be surrendering the dismantled pieces of Seb-Cheneb’s horn to both the Federation and Romulan Governments. That a piece of it will be placed at each of the Settlements of the Romulan people so that it can never be reassembled ever again as they are now the keepers of the ch'khalagu beast. In doing so the <em>khalagu</em> state that ch'khalagu will remain imprisoned to the end of all time as they will no longer have the temptation unleash it upon the innocent. This is a beast that even they now fear unleashing because Picard showed them compassion and understanding of those different than themselves.</p>
<p>There was a pause as her Father was doing his best to understand the mythology that Soji’s people seem to have adopted to put the Romulans at ease.</p>
<p>It seemed to be working as it had given Soji’s people some breathing room to establish contact with the Federation and the Romulan peoples.</p>
<p>Kestra’s father finished up his message with the following words:</p>
<p>“But I will be coming home in the next few weeks. Kestra keep you Mom safe. Deanna, I love you. I will see the both of you soon. Riker out."</p>
<p>Kestra moved to see her mother about the collapse under the weight of relief that her Dad was going to be Okay.</p>
<p>"Mom.... Dad's safe." Kestra moved to calm her mother. Though she didn't have her mother's empathic gifts. Simple actions and just listening were sometimes what were needed.</p>
<p>"Yes, my precious wild one." Kestra hated the nickname, but accepted it. Her Mom was in full "Mush Mode." Which was needed. The damn garden had been deweeded so much by her mom’s stress that it needed a rest so that the soil could recover.</p>
<p>Kestra’s grandmother had tended to some moss filled chalice when her mother was in Starfleet to keep herself sane. Guess Mom had inherited that bit of the Troi Worry.</p>
<p>Dad was okay.</p>
<p>One less bit of stress in her life with Mom not being so uptight of where she went.</p>
<p>Crap… she couldn’t sneak out at night without setting off a full Red Alert warning in the house and look at the stars.</p>
<p>Go Skinny-dipping.</p>
<p>Crap, even go hunting before sunup or near sundown.</p>
<p>Now… Well.</p>
<p>Mush mode mom could be dealt with.</p>
<p>Bribe with Chocolate everything and Kestra could be forgiven for not doing a chore or two.</p>
<p>The other stuff could be worked out on a barter basis.</p>
<p>Maybe some levity from hearing what Soji had written to her about, might take her mom's mind off of all of the worry she was going through.</p>
<p>Crap... She needed to get her mom some serious chocolate into her.</p>
<p>“Computer, replicate one large glass of Chocolate Milk, add extra chocolate to Mom Level Fourteen.” The replicator buzzed to life.</p>
<p>A Mom level of chocolate was when she was five years old a finger was a three so five of that was mom level fourteen.</p>
<p>But for her mom it was three of her fingers deep.</p>
<p>The coding system had stuck to even today.</p>
<p>Okay, that was out of the way. Kestra moved to the kitchen to grab the glass and gave it to her mom.</p>
<p>But... Whoa...</p>
<p>Soji had a freaking people.</p>
<p>Something that after hearing stories of the Commander Data all her life must be a serious hoot.</p>
<p>Wondered what they looked like. Wondered if they all had pale skin, or looked like Soji.</p>
<p>Two letters... Two...</p>
<p>"So... Let's find out what Soji wrote." Her mother nodded.</p>
<p>Dad was going to be okay.</p>
<p>Mom was going to chill with chocolate.</p>
<p>And now finding out what was happening with Soji... a real plus.</p>
<p>Maybe having a friend like Soji wasn't all that bad.</p>
<p>"Computer play message." Then the computer cheeped.</p>
<p>"File is in text form."</p>
<p>"Play transcript." Kestra stated.</p>
<p>The computer's voice stated to read it, but after a moment, Kestra started to realize that it had been transmitted...</p>
<p>In Thad's created languages.</p>
<p>"Computer, halt playback and use vocal and linguistic database of Thad Riker to translate. Also, tap house logs and use voice of Soji Asha for playback." The computer crunched the information as it hummed. The computer sucked at speaking Thad's languages. Translating it did great.</p>
<p>Thad had driven their parents crazy with his translation work, but when he had gotten sick. Kestra remembered those nights.</p>
<p>Mom was a wreck.</p>
<p>So was Dad.</p>
<p>Their parents had stated that the computing time should run over night. He did.</p>
<p>Kestra never had telepathy, but she had the language of the Wild Girls.</p>
<p>It had been nice to have someone speak it to her other than her parents, or Thad.</p>
<p>Now she waited to hear the message from the computer.</p>
<p>"Translating message, message output complete."</p>
<p>"Play message." Kestra stated.</p>
<p>"Kestra, Wild girl of Viveen and Deanna of the Mind witches of the Southern Ice, I Soji Asha, Daughter of Data of the Family and House of the Soong send this message as a greeting from the world of Coppelius." Soji's voice stated through the translation. But why send the message this way?</p>
<p>"If you have run the translation through your system, there are reasons that I am sending it this way. First security. There are those in the Rogue elements of the Tal Shiar that are still pissed and might come after you. Second.... After everything from the past few days, I just need to get some stuff out. That and you helped me create a narrative where I feel I can talk freely."</p>
<p>The computer had Soji's voice but the nuance of the voice inflection was being lost.</p>
<p>"I nearly did something stupid and nearly wiped out all organic life in existence out of anger and fear. Picard talked me out of doing it."</p>
<p>"I was in a dark place. Dahj was real. I lost my sister. Arcana, my friend had just lost her sister Saga due to my heavy, I mean heavily lying, backstabbing abusive beast of an ex-boyfriend and another Asha class like myself named Sutra. That Targ Poop, piece of- the words I wish to use would be too vile your organic ears to hear. To put it bluntly, I want to shove a Galaxy Class warp Nacelle up into a body orifice of his with my bare hands. Your mother knows which one I am talking about. But Sutra... Shit. She... People like her are the reason that Synths are feared. She is what the Romulans call a true khalagu, or demon. For someone who comes from the demon folk... Kestra, even the damn can have their souls saved. Sutra lost her's a long time ago."</p>
<p>"Ouch." Kestra stated as she continued to listen to the message. "Talk about being angry at a guy and having a demon cousin." Kestra plopped down on the family couch.</p>
<p>"In truth... Sutra who had done the actual finishing off of Saga. She saw it as a way to spurn us into action against the organics and those who had taken her sister Jana. Jana, a gentle soul who was part of our original First Contact team with the Federation. Jana even had a human boyfriend."</p>
<p>"Kestra... I was scared, angry, upset. Hurt. Violated. Picard saw that. He- he fought for us. Showed us an example of how to live. Not be afraid. Life has a purpose. Has to be earned. Has to be fought for. It is not a right- it-"</p>
<p>There was a pause.</p>
<p>"Not to create a doomsday device from some ancient people and turn the damn thing on to unleash unspeakable horrors upon the Universe because you want to live."</p>
<p>"Kestra... we are more like the organics than one thinks. We have our egos and fears. Guess we are more like the xBs I tried to help."</p>
<p>"Bees... Flowers need Bees and Butterflies. And a few wolves and a few cats."</p>
<p>"Down, Spot 22. Shesh, Altan why did you have make so many cats? Why did I have to say cats and you think it is about you?"</p>
<p>The line of insults that followed stated that Soji was having a time getting the damn cat out her writing space.</p>
<p>“Shoo, shoo.”</p>
<p>A few of the words that followed stated that Soji was dictating this as a means to cope and the phrases as she attempted to chase the damn cat from where she was at.</p>
<p>"Shoo. Go play with Codex and Rune, they have that damn ball you like to play with."</p>
<p>Kestra's mom was blushing. But hearing the events stated that Soji had been through a lot over the last few days as this massage had been written. The damn dictation catching every last word of Soji's battle with the darn cat.</p>
<p>The dialog changed back and forth to someone talking with Soji before Soji had gotten them to leave.</p>
<p>"Data had a cat named Spot. Guess Soji's people have a small colony of them." her mother exclaimed.</p>
<p>“Sorry about that Kestra- a few xB children just came into the village. A few of the cats are going crazy seeking cover as the xB children are trying to play with them.” Soji's voice sounded like she was feeling at home. "Guess after Annika freed the lot of Borg that had been in stasis since the Artifact went offline, the youngest ones needed some freedom. Considering most were partially assimilated are just trying to be children again. One of the children needed extensive medical attention after she was found in the crash. She lost both arms and legs in the crash. She has graphed Synth replacement limbs on her body. Agnes is checking on her. Deanna, there is some information at the end of this message about the girl, could you track down her folks through the Betazed embassy, Rose and Cattleya found her and... well she is reaching the age where her powers are awakening and she is scared."</p>
<p>The tone of the message changed.</p>
<p>“Arcana what is it? Pause dictation.”</p>
<p>“Sorry about that. Arcana Paid me a visit. I told her about you.”</p>
<p>“Deanna, I know that you helped me through a dark time but I would like to have some advice. I know that I was a mess after what Narek did to me.”</p>
<p>"Arcana is so empathic. She is able to... Well-read people. But our innocence got her sister killed. I don't want her going down a dark path because of what Sutra did to her. Can you mentor her, teach her the ways of the Mind Witches? She needs guidance and a mentor and to be close to someone who like yourself was a former Dyad like Kestra is."</p>
<p>Dyad...</p>
<p>Her mother was a Dyad???</p>
<p>Wait... she had an Aunt or Uncle?</p>
<p>Her mother reached out with her mind and stated one word:</p>
<p><em>Aunt</em>.</p>
<p>The rest of the answer followed.</p>
<p>
  <em>Kestra Troi, Daughter of Luxanna and Ian Andrew Troi. She died right after I was born. </em>
</p>
<p>The Telepathic words sunk in.</p>
<p>The private conversation she hadn't heard where Soji opened up to her mom.</p>
<p>She did understand.</p>
<p>Dahj, Thad, and ... Kestra. Not her Kestra, but the woman, her aunt she was named after.</p>
<p>Soji was talking about Arcana and having her come and stay with them, but that was lost as Kestra realized that she and her mother shared the same pain of loss.</p>
<p>Then the conversation was interrupted with:</p>
<p>"Pause Dictation." Soji's voice stated.</p>
<p>Then the message resumed as Kestra turned her attention back to it.</p>
<p>"Elnor came in a moment ago with some of my stuff from my Quarters on the Artifact."</p>
<p>"For a Romulan who was raised by a sect of Warrior Nuns, he is kinda of cute. Crap... I said that."</p>
<p>"Pause."</p>
<p>"After five minutes of debating about that previous sentence I left the word cute in."</p>
<p>"Cute in... Not a romantic way... more of a general. Well Cute. Innocent, caring. Capable of kicking your ass type of cute. Crap.... He is so much like my fellow Cappailains. He is freaking Organic and- He is like us. Innocent around the edges yet so wise."</p>
<p>"Guess it is a cultural thing given our mutual social isolation of our youths, or a raw seeing the universe as being so new to us."</p>
<p>"He and Arcana were both wrecks after last few days."</p>
<p>"Picard's death... well his death and resurrection threw him for a loop. Raffi was by his side for the worse of it."</p>
<p>"Thank Goodness for Stasis. and Positronic neural overlays. Picard’s Neural disease had a bad flareup right after he got Coppelius under Federation Protection."</p>
<p>"Starting the body, actually restarting it was the easy part. The Brain... Thank Goodness Agnes was here. Grafting Organic and Synthetic tissue together and making it talk to each other like it was the same. I don't think that me and Altan would have been able to do it by ourselves if it wasn't for her."</p>
<p>"We had graft some of Arcana's late sister Saga's physical neural components into Picard to get the process to work."</p>
<p>"Altan has been with Arcana as he has helped integrate part of her sister's neural net programming into her mind. It was the least he could do for his youngest daughter."</p>
<p>The use of Soji's language of Picard dying and being brought back was just treated like it was another day for her.</p>
<p>"A few of my fellow researcher from the Artifact survived the attack by the Zat Vash and the crash of the Cube on planet."</p>
<p>"Mostly we helped get their replicators going again and well as a few Orchard ships we have been lent to them for transport."</p>
<p>"A good chunk of the researchers have decided to stay. Continue the work needed."</p>
<p>"The xBs seem to feel that their landing here is what Hugh would have wanted for them. They have thanked their God Omega and his frequency harmonics for bringing them to this place of peace."</p>
<p>"A few of the Synths that they have encountered seem to have put the thought into them that they are on a verge of a change. That technology and biology are on the same paths. That the only way for survival and advancement is getting there together."</p>
<p>"Pure Organic nor Pure Artificial doesn't have the answers. It is the dialogue that is what matters. As long as it is going, as long the story flows and changes. There is hope."</p>
<p>"Maybe that is what the beacon that the Zat Vash found really meant. That Creator and Created have to make peace with the actions they have done. Be a better teacher to the offspring you have. Teach them well, teach them not to make the same mistakes you did."</p>
<p>"I think that I will be leaving with Picard. Hopefully the crew of the La Serena have some work they can do to put some things right."</p>
<p>"Nameless?"</p>
<p>"Pause recording."</p>
<p>Good Grief... Soji was being interrupted when the story was getting good.</p>
<p>"Sorry, one of the xBs that was my assistant back on the Artifact came to visit. He is doing his best to act as an individual, but he found Arcana a while ago. Crying. He is trying to get used to having emotions back, but also Arcana seems to have taken a liking to him. She has this thing for wrinkles and scars. Both of them have lost parts of their collective worlds."</p>
<p>"I have done my best... But I am out of my element."</p>
<p>"Deanna... I am also going to send a more extensive files on Arcana and Nameless after this in the data packet I am putting together. Maybe you can help them out?" That explained the other file that Soji had sent.</p>
<p>It wasn't a letter- it was a mental health file!</p>
<p>"Altan might be following in a few days after that. He needs help too. Saga was his daughter. He is like any other grieving parent. Something you know too well."</p>
<p>Kestra realized that, crap... four people for her mom to help.</p>
<p>"Kestra... Arcana is going to be bringing the blueprints for a subspace transporter with her. Hopefully your Mom can help out the rest of the Reclamation team in getting supplies here."</p>
<p>Kestra quickly rushed over and transferred the file to a Padd for her mother to read.</p>
<p>Okay... four patients or more for her Mom, and a grocery run for some of the colonists to Soji's home world.</p>
<p>"Kestra... You said while I was with you the question, Do I dream. I do."</p>
<p>"Also... I had a dream last night of Dahj and Jana meeting some guy and her being happy when he came up to them."</p>
<p>"I think it was Thad and he was talking with her and Jana. Jana's another Asha class like me, except Jana has golden skin."</p>
<p>"I don't know... I remembered reading this article about the Borg... That they Voyager Crew came into contact with a 29th century Borg called One. That he had evolved so far that he stopped listening to the Collective and was so powerful in his will that he was able to take over a Borg Vessel all by himself."</p>
<p>"Maybe given that I am borderline Biological and Technological. Maybe... Maybe One might have represented a Borg that may have... He Might have been one of my people."</p>
<p>"Rios... Has this theory about Artificial Life. That once it hits a state, like the Warp Barrier, that once it reaches a particular point, that it contacts another higher civilization."</p>
<p>"We attempted to contact it, but given the horrors that were in the records that the Zat Vash found, I killed the transmission."</p>
<p>"Maybe we are not advanced enough yet. Maybe the only way that one reaches the level of society we have to make peace with both the biological and technological. We have to co-evolve to some point where neither side wants to commit a Biocolst or a Technocalst against the other."</p>
<p>"Deep thoughts from someone who nearly caused the former."</p>
<p>"I am a screwed-up mess. Maybe that is from me growing up so quickly in light of recent events."</p>
<p>"Picard just came into my room here at the settlement."</p>
<p>"Pause recording."</p>
<p>Admiral Picard... Okay this was getting official.</p>
<p>"Picard just left after he gave me a pep talk. Maybe it was what I needed. I am officially an Ambassador and I am heading to Starbase Twelve to work out some details and be debriefed by Starfleet Intelligence."</p>
<p>Soji was now an Ambassador now.</p>
<p>Whoa.</p>
<p>"Kestra... Stay well, and be nice to your mom.”</p>
<p>“Before I leave, I want to tell you a story that I was able to decode from your brother, Thad’s journal. I am still translating it and sorting it out since he wrote it in the margins of his entries.”</p>
<p>“Here it is:”</p>
<p>“Travel journal of Thaddeus Troi-Riker. Twelfths year on planet.</p>
<p>Over the last few months My illness has been taking my strength from me, but my time here has granted me some insight into the local inhabitants here. A young Viveen maiden has been by my side as a guard as one of the Witches of the Southern Ice Tends to me. I see the sadness in her eyes, but I enjoy talking with her. I enjoy her company. I later learned from the Mind Witch Deanna who was caring for me, stated that Kestra of the Woods is her daughter. That her father tells her tales about a Warrior of the Soong. Beings with pale white skin and with the strength of many men. She is captivated by the stories. Like me, I have heard about this warrior too. His defeat of not just one foe, but many. I like the tale where he put an army of the Borg Hive asleep.”</p>
<p>"There is some more lore here, but I think it has to deal with you Kestra." Soji stated. "I think it is about your biology. Especially that side you got from your Mother."</p>
<p>"That was all over the place with the references here with her."</p>
<p>"Even though she (Deanna) is a Mind Witch she loves you (Kestra) and Quarter Mind Witches do inherit some of their powers of their parents at your age, the Meta-Cortex just needs to wake up. You have to just relax and listen. She wishes that your talents had progressed more while you were younger, um Puberty is when the glands produce the chemicals your body needs to wake up that part of your mind."</p>
<p>"Further note- it is tied to your language center." Soji seemed to have stumbled upon something as she was translating Thad's journal in her spare time.</p>
<p>This is when Soji left the story and spoke to Kestra directly.</p>
<p>"I believe that It is Thad's gift to you."</p>
<p>Kestra stopped cold.</p>
<p>"Speak in the tongue of the Mind Witches in your mind and they shall hear you; and you can hear them."</p>
<p>Kestra was floored.</p>
<p>Thad had left a message for her and her family to find in his journal after he was gone.</p>
<p>Soji had found it and...</p>
<p>As Soji was an anthropologist.</p>
<p>She must have pieced it together.</p>
<p>Maybe being an Android wasn’t all that bad for her.</p>
<p>All those powers and gifts, Soji must have made her peace with what and who she was when she had met her people.</p>
<p>The rest of Soji's message blurred on by as Kestra realized that this gift from her late brother had always been meant for her and her family.</p>
<p>She was so sending this off to her dad.</p>
<p>Or she would play it back when he got home.</p>
<p>Kestra came back to reality as the last of Soji's message played out.</p>
<p>"May your narrative and story continue into the future."</p>
<p>"A safe Journey from your friend Soji Asha of the Family Soong."</p>
<p>It took a moment for Kestra to realize Soji had stated something in the last bit of her message.</p>
<p>Kestra moved and accessed the file in its text form.</p>
<p>Kestra tried.</p>
<p><em>Mother</em>.</p>
<p>"Yes, Kestra."</p>
<p>Kestra blinked a few times.</p>
<p>She tried again.</p>
<p>
  <em>MOM!!!</em>
</p>
<p>"Kestra... What?"</p>
<p>Kestra's jaw was on the floor.</p>
<p>She closed her eyes and thought the words.</p>
<p>
  <em>I'm part Mind Witch. Speak to me with your gift.</em>
</p>
<p>Her Mom just blinked with her jaw on the floor.</p>
<p>"Kestra?"</p>
<p>
  <em>Use your gifts mom... Use Thad's words.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wlid One.</em>
</p>
<p>"Wild One" Kestra said the two words in a awe filled whisper.</p>
<p>Two words.</p>
<p>"How?"</p>
<p>"Soji." Kestra quickly brought up the pad and pointed to the section of text that Soji had communicated.</p>
<p>Her mom read it a few times as the shock was starting to wear off, but also what Soji had found out.</p>
<p>"I remember." Her mother stopped cold.</p>
<p>"What?"</p>
<p>"There was a mission years ago on the Enterprise D. A Quarter Betazoid like yourself. Soji must have been doing research on Picard and- it... It must have come up in the reports."</p>
<p>"Realized that my gifts were latent. Thad... Thad's book, when he was sick-" Kestra leaned back in the couch. "Soji must have figured it out from Thad's work and pieced the information together from Thad’s notes that my gifts were latent as he was doing all that research on his mind."</p>
<p>Kestra winced as she realized that she would have to start speaking in the language of the Mind Witches.</p>
<p>With her mother.</p>
<p>Ugh.</p>
<p>The last thing she wanted was her mom in her head.</p>
<p>
  <em>Wild One.</em>
</p>
<p>The words were present.</p>
<p>But also, emotions.</p>
<p>Love and Pain.</p>
<p>Then an Image of her Grandmother.</p>
<p>A girl about her age.</p>
<p>
  <em>Kestra Troi</em>
</p>
<p>Not Riker,</p>
<p>But Kestra, her late- Aunt.</p>
<p>
  <em>It took many years for my mother to move through the loss of your Aunt. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>But after that we bonded. </em>
</p>
<p>Then Images of Thad when he was younger.</p>
<p>His adventures on Star Ships.</p>
<p>His language building.</p>
<p>His love of Tolkien.</p>
<p>It was like looking through a holo-album.</p>
<p>Then of her being born.</p>
<p>Thad telling her stories in all of the languages he had created.</p>
<p>"Whoa." Kestra fell back on the couch where her mother was sitting.</p>
<p>"That, is a gift that telepathic peoples like ourselves share with our children." Her mother was grinning at this. "That and I am honored to have shared it with you."</p>
<p>"Mom... there is this boy." Her mother blushed.</p>
<p>An Image of an older Kestra naked at her wedding popped into her mother's mind.</p>
<p>That was it, she was wearing damn flowers around her body if she ever got married.</p>
<p>"Thad, knew a girl." Images of a Blonde Trill girl with exorbitant freckles down her arms appeared in her mind.</p>
<p>Kestra knew the girl... Wait, No way.</p>
<p>Dove Noremac.</p>
<p>Dove Noremac!!!</p>
<p>Noogie-Mattic Dove Noremac that drove her nuts when she was younger.</p>
<p>The confused look on her face changed as Kestra's mother showed images of the two.</p>
<p>"Dove Noremac." It was Thad's voice, "I know that being Quarter Trill is."</p>
<p>"Thad." She was dorkly looking her brother. "Let's share what time we have left."</p>
<p>"Be nice to my sister." There was worry and clear concern on Dove's face.</p>
<p>"Thad...” Dove called out.</p>
<p>"No... Be nice to my sister. I need you to keep an eye on her after I am gone, you and Captain Randal I trust on keeping an eye on her."</p>
<p>"Thad." Dove doing her best to wiggle out of doing this but Thad was starting to collapse. "THAD!!!" There was panic in her voice.</p>
<p>Kestra pulled out of the memory.</p>
<p>"That was the day that we discovered the seriousness of Thad's illness."</p>
<p>"Thad getting a girlfriend, and him."</p>
<p>Images of Dove being a wreck in the weeks after Thad's death now made sense.</p>
<p>Imzadi.</p>
<p>Life lover.</p>
<p>Crap...</p>
<p>No wonder Thad had created the Scholars of-</p>
<p>They had been based off of Dove.</p>
<p>Dove had stopped... Because of promise that Thad made her make in his memory.</p>
<p>Okay... time to deep dive Thad's journal.</p>
<p>Soji... you owe on this.</p>
<p>"Kestra???" There was some concern.</p>
<p>"Mom... Thad had a girlfriend. So... ergo, I am going to find out everything about her and make things right." That was when Kestra got up and headed out to get another PADD to work on.</p>
<p>Then there was a knock on the door.</p>
<p>Deanna turned to see a woman with Golden skin and Brown hair standing in the doorway next to Captain Rupert Crandall.</p>
<p>"Deanna... I found this young woman who somehow beamed into my ship." Captain Crandall stated as he presented his companion.</p>
<p>The woman's appearance looked to almost be as flawless as an ancient golden Greek or Roman statue from Earth.</p>
<p>Gold skin.</p>
<p>Innocence...</p>
<p>"Is this the residence of... of Kestra Riker and Deanna Troi-Riker?"</p>
<p>The woman looked unsure of the situation.</p>
<p>Then her mother saw the woman's yellow eyes.</p>
<p>"It is. I am Deanna, her mother." She turned to see Kestra came back into the room with her PADD to see their guest.</p>
<p>"Mom... I." Kestra and her mother picked up the detail that made this woman stand out.</p>
<p>She nor her mother could not read her.</p>
<p>Though Captain Crandall was reading loud and clear.</p>
<p>Was this what it was like for mom when she was in one of her Western Holonovels? Or reading a Ferengi?</p>
<p>"Kestra Dear... I think Soji's friend Arcana is here."</p>
<p>It took a moment as she realized what her mother experienced with Synths like the famous Commander Data or his daughter Soji.</p>
<p>"Soji sent a message of my arrival?" The head tilt told it all.</p>
<p>And Kestra's jaw hit the floor.</p>
<p>"Whoa... that is what you Cappailains look like in your natural form?"</p>
<p>Her mother said that she couldn't read Androids like Soji or her dad, but to understand what it meant not to read someone. Only to read them through their expressions and body language.</p>
<p>Thad would have made horror story that would scare the living daylights out of the Mind Witches.</p>
<p>But the young woman was far from the scary stories that Kestra had heard in school about the Synths.</p>
<p>She was like Soji, well, Soji with full cultural knowledge and a history of her people.</p>
<p>Crap… the head tick was a species thing!</p>
<p>"It is?" The woman looked scared. "You find me unattractive?" Kestra rushed over and took the young woman by the hands to calm Soji’s cousin.</p>
<p>"No... You look nice. Though I see why Soji changed he skin tone to make herself look human for her Anthropological research on the Federation."</p>
<p>This eased the woman's tension.</p>
<p>"Oh..."</p>
<p>The realization that she was the first Cappialian Synth they had seen in their “natural” appearance. It wasn’t due to her being a Synth.</p>
<p>Arcana stroked Kestra’s face.</p>
<p>“You are smaller than Soji stated.”</p>
<p>Kestra realized that she might be the first Non-Borg adolescent that Arcana may have come into contact with.</p>
<p>“Why are you touching my face the way you are?”</p>
<p>“I have never touched another species as young as you are what didn’t have Borg modifications.”</p>
<p>“Oh…”</p>
<p>She was feeling for Borg Skin Tech Spiderwebs under her skin.</p>
<p>Kestra Poked her back and saw the shimmer of Arcana’s flesh.</p>
<p>“Wow… you guys do have the glowy skin I have heard about. It wasn’t really notable on Soji. But on you, it is really present.”</p>
<p>Arcana now realized that she was being compared to Soji and it wasn’t a bad thing.</p>
<p>"Come and sit." Her mother motioned for Arcana to sit down on the couch.</p>
<p>"Alright,” the woman came and sat down.</p>
<p>The way she sat was very… Well, not Soji, but like someone who was unsure of the social expectation of the situation.</p>
<p>This was a full Second Contact situation and the cultural norms were being worked out between peoples of what was the right customs to follow.</p>
<p>"So... how was your trip and how is Soji and Admiral Picard doing?" Kestra blurted out.</p>
<p>Arcana seemed a little surprised but understood that Kestra wanted to know what Soji and Picard had been up to since their time here.  But she started off by stating how she had gotten here and how her trip was. </p>
<p>"Strange. First time off world. My Father will be coming in the next little while. The Subspace Transjector I used to get here needs to charge up again for him to come. I beamed into Captain Crandall ship and I lost my shoes when they became fused to the deck plating.” Arcana seemed embarrassed by the incident. The borrowed pair of shoes clearly evident on Arcana's feet. Kestra’s mom was reading Arcana’s body language and Kestra started to understand and respect her mother’s counseling skills.  Arcana was studying everyone room as she sorted out what needed to be said next. </p>
<p>“Soji is working out the details with the surviving crew of the Artifact. Admiral Picard is recovering after his illness flared up and Father had to use the technology he was developing to save Picard’s life. Picard was neurologically offline for several hours in stasis before the Positronic Mesh was brought fully online to eradicate his illness.”</p>
<p>Picard had been sick?</p>
<p>“Was it the same disease that Thad had?” </p>
<p>Arcana looked at Kestra worried. </p>
<p>“I do not know if it was.  Doctor Jurati knew more about the disease for his treatment.”  Arcana looked worried, but calm.  “he was active in communicating with the various governments in getting our status confirmed with the Federation.”  Then Arcana started crying.  “So much death to get peace.”</p>
<p>“Easy there, I know that you miss Saga.” </p>
<p>The very clear tears from Arcana’s gold eyes stated that she was in pain. </p>
<p> “I need space, but don't want to be alone." A moment later after getting used to the fact that these were Soji’s friends Arcana relaxed more dropping the stiffness of her body language. “Soji said that you could help me and my father? I feel lost trying to help him. Saga is gone, but her memories remain.”</p>
<p>"That is a normal reaction for all loss." Kestra got up and raided the fridge for some Alaskan Sun Tea as her mom went into Councilor Mode.</p>
<p>Both would need to fluids to keep hydrated. </p>
<p>Captain Crandall moved to join her in the kitchen.</p>
<p>"So, she is a Cappailain? The people that Admiral Picard made first contact with." Crandall looked at the young woman.  Arcana was dealing with the murder of her sister, that would mess anyone up. </p>
<p>"Yes... and you helped my friend Soji find her people."</p>
<p>"Wait... she is from the planet with the two red moons?"</p>
<p>"Yeah..."</p>
<p>"Wow."</p>
<p>"I'll bring you up to speed on her people." Kestra stated as her Captain friend took the glass of tea from her. "So how is Dove doing?"</p>
<p>"Good, she is thinking about entering Starfleet. Thad's birthday has been rough for her. I know that Dove is my god-daughter and she is living with her mother, but Thad was a bright spot in her life. I do my best to help."</p>
<p>"Well, Soji helped me find out they were a couple and Mom shared some of her memories of when they were a couple. I am about to write Soji to help me find out more about Dove and Thad's relationship."</p>
<p>"How would this Soji know..."</p>
<p>Oh, Kestra would have a story to tell on that part with Captain Crandall. Though Kestra was going to hold back on the entire Synth information for the time being. For now, for Arcana’s and Soji’s sake they just needed to be seen as people, and just as People. </p>
<p>“Well-” Kestra began her story about Soji, First Contact, Demons, former Borg and Thad’s Journals.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Soong Saga</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Soji and several of her fellow Synths head to check on the Survivors of the Artifact.  After the attack by the Zat Vash, both sides discovery that they are more alike than they think.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter follows up the aftermath of the Borg Cube Crash, Picard’s Resurrection and the fallout of Saga’s death.  Also, this introduces the xB/Synth interaction.<br/>I wanted to follow up and give some backstory on the situation with fallout of the Cube crashing and what happened to the Reclamation Crew and the possibility that Seven brought a few more Fenris Rangers with her.<br/>This story also ties into my other story.  A Witch's Name, A Pirate's Past, and a Time Traveler's Life.  I am planning on having these two stories cross over at some point.<br/>Now on with the story.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Personal Log.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Today, Soji and several of her brethren have decided to head to the Borg Cube to help Seven of Nine care for the crashed vessel survivors. I have been doing my best to console Arcana, but she seems to have wanted to put her grief aside to help Soji.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>As a father, I am conflicted on how I went so wrong with Sutra.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Am I no different than my father when it came to Lore?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Picard has stated that my ancestor Arik Soong had the same problem with his Augment creations.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>But for his mistakes, he had success.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Persis. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Out of all the Augments, she had overcome her baser instincts and had a balance of intellect and... well, compassion. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Picard had been informed years ago that she had been saved by one of his former officers due to a temporal accident. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Maybe it was her death or removal from her own time that spurred my ancestor to take up going into robotics. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I might reach out to her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I don't know... Since Bruce died. I just don't want to be alone again. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Family is family. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>But... I need new ideas—a fresh view of things. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Maybe that is what messed Sutra up so badly after she lost Jana.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Jana had been Sutra's moral compass. With that gone, she went dark.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sutra had this logic about her. But because of the ban, she never had the chance to head to Vulcan to find herself. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Find that balance between logic and emotion she so desperately needed. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>There is a world of difference between book knowledge and what takes place in the "Real World". </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I so fucked up as being a father.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am dealing with a lot here, but ---</em>
</p><p>
  <em>The La Serena Crew is a good change of pace. Maybe even the researchers on the Borg Reclamation project might be what I need considering recent events. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>There is a lot of work that needs to be done. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I am great at making artificial bodies, but souls... </em>
</p><p>
  <em>The immortal soul. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Saga, if your soul is out there. Your father and sister Arcana miss you so much.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>End Log.</em>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Cattleya approached the cube vessel with Soji. Several of the Cappialian Synths had joined with Annika and the La Serena members to help the crashed crew recover.</p><p>Other than the Crew of the La Serena, these would be the first organics that she would encounter outside Father Alton and Father Bruce.</p><p>After the events with Sutra, Soji had convinced the others that they needed to learn to live with these very flawed beings that they would be sharing the universe with.</p><p>It took a moment for her to realize the sheer size of the vessel that had come down.</p><p>Nearby the remains of several orchids lay strewn on the ground.</p><p>The bio vessels had given their lives to protect their home, and now these three beings called out to be released from their pain.</p><p>Cattleya moved and pulled out her Thought Tool and activated it so that she may put the bio vessel to rest.</p><p>"Rest protective flower of these lands. You have performed your task well. May you experience the rise of a new dawn in the next world." Her words soothed the vessel into its eternal slumber as she patted the biomatter of its body.</p><p>It wasn't much, but the orchids were the defenders of her home, and though primitive her in their behaviors, they were brethren.</p><p>"Identify what species you are?" Cattleya turned to see a small humanoid standing by the ship. The being was covered in dark armored plating and some tubing sticking out and running from the small one's flesh down to the armor's parts.</p><p>Moving back to take in a full view of the individual, Soji approached and was recognized by the individual. "Doctor Asha?"</p><p>Soji grinned.</p><p>"Nameless 2650, It is good that you survived." The humanoid looked to be a female. Black armor. Cybernetic components.</p><p>"I have a name... "The young female approached Soji.</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>"Freya."</p><p>"Freya... it is a good name." Soji moved and hugged the girl. "So, where are the others?"</p><p>"Um... Beta... she's an Her-Ro-Gen. She is out hunting for local game to feed the others. She is hunting with a Kling Non. The girl started to push on her two front teeth as they started to wiggle. "The replicators are crapping out."</p><p>The girl started to scratch at her skin until a blister underneath the skin erupted with a metal bud busting out. The child winced.</p><p>The child started to lick around her mouth.</p><p>"Throat still sore from the surgery?"</p><p>The girl nodded.</p><p>"I came out here with a few of the other children and adults to cool off." The girl looked worried. "Are the Bad Romulans going to come back?"</p><p>"No.... hopefully not for a long time."</p><p>"Did Locutus...." The girl paused before continuing, "Did Picard get help-"</p><p>"Picard's systems needed repair after the battle in orbit. He is currently operational," Cattleya stated to the child. "The pre-existing implants that were in his system helped in his treatment."</p><p>Soji glared at her. Then she groaned.</p><p>"He got hurt?" Soji closed her eyes and knelt to the child's height.</p><p>"No... he had a disease that was hurting him. It had flared up after the battle. Doctor Agnes Jurati had to order an emergency medical transport to the settlement nearby to treat him. He is doing better, a little hungry, but better." The girl hugged Soji.</p><p>"That's good."</p><p>"Hello... I am Cattleya. I am a friend of Soji's." Cattleya waved at the small humanoid.</p><p>"You look weird, but maybe I look weird to you. You have gold skin."</p><p>That was when Cattleya's sister Rose appeared and came up to her.</p><p>"You are a twin?" The girl stated as she started to get a look at the rest of the group. "Doctor Asha... your gold friends are all twins!!!"</p><p>"They are," Soji stated as she saw one of her friends call out.</p><p>"Soji..."</p><p>"Naáshala?"</p><p>The dark-skinned Trill held a pipe as a club but seeing Soji, the scrap metal being used as an improvised weapon, fell to the ground. The rush and embrace of Soji stated that this female wasn't dangerous.</p><p>"You disappeared, the Romulans went nuts... Director Hugh, he- then the xB went <em>'We are Borg.'"</em></p><p>"I heard." Soji moved to wipe the tears from her friend's face. The young Trill woman looked like a wreck.</p><p>"So, find the pilot or whatever was flying these Flower things?" Naáshala Stated looking at the Dead organic ship.</p><p>"The Orchids were programmed to deal with any threats to the planet. Your conflict in our orbit was not tolerated. Their automated protocols told them to launch to prevent the orbital conflict from progressing any further over our home."</p><p>Naáshala looked at Cattleya and hid behind Soji. The Trill's uneasiness and emotional state had been pushed to their limits and the need to get to a port of safety- she was doing her best to lock on to so she could stay sane.</p><p>"They were programmed to deactivate the ships, not harm the crews onboard." Cattleya looked over to the size of the vessel that had been brought down by the Orchids. "Your vessel is much larger than anything we had anticipated for."</p><p>"They have offered to help treat the injured and bring whatever supplies they have available to help us," Soji stated as the Trill started to calm down.</p><p>"Oh." Naáshala seemed to understand that what had happened. It hadn't been so much an attack but to end the fight over their planet. "You guys don't jerk around when it comes to people starting fights on your doorstep."</p><p>"We have medical supplies and some foodstuffs from our village." The group looked uneasy. That was when an older female with blonde hair came out of the vessel.</p><p>"I see that you all decided to show up. Did you bring that fabricated parts I ask for?" Soji rolled her eyes.</p><p>"Yeah, Annika... we brought it." Then the sound of roaring took place as two figures lunged from over the body of the Orchid.</p><p>A scaled Reptilian-looking female wearing the same armor as Freya came running at Rune with a spear. Behind her was a male with formidable cranial ridges swung a makeshift club at her.</p><p>Rune stopped the female by stepping out of the way. Rune reached up stopped her descent by grabbing her by the throat mid-decent. The female was more in shock by what had happened.</p><p>Cattleya reached out and stopped the club from hitting her and pulled it from the male's grip, and tossed it aside well out his reach.</p><p>"We do not tolerate unprovoked violence upon our personage." The warrior with the ridged forehead took note of this. He considered his options that any further attack was not in his favor. Cattleya turned to see the female the Rune had stopped in her assault.</p><p>"Beta... Kling... They are friends", Freya called out.</p><p>Beta looked terrified as Rune held her very clearly off the ground by the throat. Her Spear had clearly gone through his tunic. Rune took note that she was still trying to attack him. Rune stopped this by tightening this grip on the adolescent female's throat to reduce her air supply. It wouldn't hurt her, but not knowing how long it would take the individual to lose consciousness, Rune just took his time and waited.</p><p>He didn't need long to wait when the female decided to fight him or lose consciousness. Then the female chose to let go of her weapon and focus more on the need to breathe. She quickly grabbed Rune's arm to keep herself from falling unconscious under his grip.</p><p>"I will put you down and treat your injuries."</p><p>Kling seemed to have taken up a defensive stance but backed off from further attacking.</p><p>"Your name is Beta is it correct?" Rune was lowering the female down as he was keeping a decent grip on her.</p><p>"You are Prey... You fight. I hunt."</p><p>Rune pressed his hand into the adolescent's chest as he marched the female over to the side of the downed Orchid.</p><p>"I am not your Prey, nor am I your foe. I am not your trophy."</p><p>The pressure was not enough to hurt the female but was enough to make her yield.</p><p>"Organic Biomatter, cybernetic components. Glandular structures seem to be producing an augmented amount of strength in the muscular system. Hardened dermal tissue with pheromone producing pores."</p><p>Rune was working through his options as the female cursed at him.</p><p>"I will make you my-" Rune made her stop cold with some well-placed words given Soji's information about what had happened to Annika's late progeny.</p><p>"You have excellent components for salvage."</p><p>The female froze. The predator species realized that she might become the trophy of someone else.</p><p>"Rune..." Soji called out as Rune turned to look at her. "I think you scared the kid enough."</p><p>"Actually, I was admiring some of her components that are compatible with our systems back at the settlement."</p><p>The female gulped. Soji approached and looked at the female.</p><p>"Oh..." Soji tilted her head and saw the parts Rune had been studying. "You know you can take those from her without killing her. The organics… Not so much."</p><p>"I know, but given her aggression and lack of knowledge of what I was studying, she thought that I was after her glandular system."</p><p>"You wish to keep me alive?" Beta looked at them. "As a... Servant animal- creature?"</p><p>"Alive, yes... but not as a role as being servant... more student."</p><p>"Rune, she is a huntress in her society."</p><p>"Like your friend Kestra?"</p><p>"More or less. Beta looks to be about the same age." Soji took the girl from Rune's grip but kept her pinned to against the Orchid. "A barter and trade. Your components for Rune's tunic. You earned it."</p><p>Rune moved back and removed his tunic, and looked at the hole the girl had delivered to it.</p><p>Rune clearly had a slight cut to his side. Not deep, but enough to lightly break the skin. His dermal tissue would regenerate in time.</p><p>The sight of the injury calmed the girl down.</p><p>The indication that she had scored a blow upon her target seemed to relieve her worries some. "Be glad that you have a Duratianium and Cortenide bio mesh skeletal structure."</p><p>The mention of this made the female gulp.</p><p>"Your bone structure is that hard?" The female brought two of her modified fingers up and scanned Rune. Then she looked scared.</p><p>"You would have killed me without a second thought?"</p><p>"My progenitor had killed many Borg. Even a Borg Queen in his encounters when they proved to be a threat to himself or others around him."</p><p>Beta quickly decided that her aggressive actions would not be the wisest course of action for her survival.</p><p>Rune motioned for Soji to let the girl go as she held up her scanning appendage and scanned Soji as well.</p><p>"You are the same species as him."</p><p>Several of the individuals who had been part of the ship's crew looked in Soji in shock.</p><p>Soji took a deep breath and bit her lip before "coming clean" before them.</p><p>"I am..." Beta looked at her in shock and realized that she may have gotten more details about Soji than expected. "Welcome to my home... home world." Soji pulled away distressed. "Rune, give Beta your damn shirt." Her storming off to the other side of the Orchid gave her the space she needed. Both the Cappialain and Artifact groups watched as Soji's secret had been laid bare to those she had known before she escaped from the vessel.</p><p>"Soji..." Cattleya called out as she sprinted after her sister as she, too, was followed by Naáshala.</p><p>A moment later, Soji came to a stop and turned towards the dead Orchid. She slammed her fist into the flesh of the creature.</p><p>Now it was an effortless thing for Soji to do given her emulation of organic behaviors.</p><p>Though the blow was significant as Naáshala looked concerned seeing how strong Soji was.</p><p>Then as Soji moved away and slid to the ground crying.</p><p>"So... Soji..." Naáshala approached. "You're an Anthropologist?" Cattleya looked confused.</p><p>But Soji nodded.</p><p>"So, you were doing a First Contact Resonance operation for your people." Soji nodded again.</p><p>"So... what do you think of the... Federation, Romulan and... xB civilizations?"</p><p>"Wha..." Soji looked up at her friend with tears in her eyes.</p><p>"What do you think of us?" Naáshala blushed a little. "I mean... I guess that you think that all Trill are like..."</p><p>Soji Sighed. "Well, you are very socially Cappialan in your view of things."</p><p>"Wait... you think I..." Naáshala was processing this new information. "Wait... you became my friend because..." Naáshala looked over at Cattleya. "Because... socially, I'm like one of your people?" Soji nodded.</p><p>"So... your natural appearance is golden?"</p><p>"I don't remember." Soji pleaded.</p><p>"Actually... it was..." Cattleya stated. "You asked." Cattleya winced as Soji shot her a glare. "But... your cousin Jana... and her sister did have pointed Vulcan ears for a week. Though... you and your sister Dahj did experiment with your eye coloring. Bruce freaked when you did black Betazoid eyes. But... human eye colors... Green, you both loved it. Even after the experiment to dye them blue failed."</p><p>Soji chuckled.</p><p>"You did a marvelous job, I might say," Naáshala stated as she wiped a tear from her friend's cheek.</p><p>"Thanks..." Soji stated as she moved to hug her.</p><p>"So... let's talk later as we get everyone on their feet", Naáshala stated.</p><p>"Okay..." Soji added.</p><p>"So... Your ass is gold."</p><p>"Was..."</p><p>"Damn... So that sort of explains why you were looking at me in the sonic showers. Probably wondering how far my spots went down."</p><p>"You have over thirty thousand spots in a fairly uneven pattern along the flanks of your body." Soji cleared her voice. "You have more on your left than on your right."</p><p>"Wait... when did you count them all?" Naáshala looked concerned.</p><p>"Um..." Soji looked a little awkward at her. "Your left side when we were in the sonic showers after one shift. And the other... your right when you were having sex with that group of Denobulans."</p><p>"Wait... when I showed up at your door wearing nothing but a-"</p><p>"Bedsheet."</p><p>"Wait... I was only naked for..." The realization hit her. "Whoa... You count that fast!" Naáshala stated.</p><p>"Actually, I learn languages- Fully in about three to five minutes." That was when Soji spoke something in her friend's language.</p><p>Cattleya didn't know what had been said. Still, the conversation but the two females seemed to understand that Soji felt guilty about her unknowing deceit to her friend. Then Naáshala said something that made Soji wince then giggle at it. Some of the information was clear deception, but Cattleya realized that Soji didn’t want to reveal her status as an artificial being.</p><p>"Yeah, that would be very truthful of what happened."</p><p>"So... why don't you let me read over your anthropology reports for the species you met?"</p><p>"Alright, alright. But I am not changing my eye color back to yellow, but I will use La Serena's holo systems to revert my skin tone to my native form so that you can see me in my native skin tone. Just don't call me Jana!"</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Jana was a fellow Asha-" Cattleya started to say before Soji cut her off.</p><p>"Family member." Soji was crying again, "Her vessel went missing about the time the Artifact went offline. It had scanned three vessels, the Cube, the Romulan Bird of Prey, and a Federation Starship before it went silent."</p><p>Then it made sense.</p><p>"The Borg Cube is the Artifact." Naáshala looked like she was sick to her stomach. "Somewhere in the Cube... is your kin and..."</p><p>"Jana got picked up by the Federation Starship. There was a Zat Vash agent on board. The Other Zat Vash was on the Bird of Prey."</p><p>"Wait, that means..." Naáshala was processing this.</p><p>"My sister Dahj was sent to Earth to see if the Crew was there. I was sent to the Artifact to see if they were scooped up by the Borg." Soji seemed to let out her mission details. "We found out about the Zat Vash by accident. Dahj got killed after she tried to protect Picard from being attacked. I wound up on their kill list when I started poking around the information about the Crew of the Bird of Prey." Then Soji said what had brought about all this pain. "Naáshala... The Synths on Mars.. They were hacked using my people's knowledge by the Zat Vash. Our computer code is all over their systems that was taken by the Borg prior to our encounter with Starfleet."  Soji held back on the fact that she was also a Synth.  But Soji just wanted to get the truth out about what had happened at the Shipyards on Mars.</p><p>"That means..."</p><p>"Mars was a frame job.  The Syths there were innocent.  Just- Hacked."</p><p>The silence among those from the Cube just hung in the air like death had come.</p><p>"We had no grudge with the Federation nor the Romulan Empire. But the Synths were victims in all of this. Bruce Maddox wanted his creations to help save and change the galaxy for the better. Instead, the work of several noble individuals had their names drug through the preferable mud. Just so a group of radicals could reshape the galaxy into something that they desired based on fear, contempt, and ignorance."</p><p>Soji was currently crying. “Bruce was me and Dahj’s Foster Father.  He raised us after my Progenitor’s life cycle ceased.”</p><p>Then Soji got up and started to punch at the Orchid's carcass, then she got faster as she activated.</p><p>Naáshala pulled back as Soji started to draw and rip and tear at the flesh of the Orchid. The material's density slowed her down, but she came to a sudden stop when she hit void.</p><p>"Holy Crap..." Naáshala looked at the hole Soji had made in the Orchid. "I heard that you came out the ceiling in one of the corridors when you disappeared. I didn't realize that you tunneled through the damn thing like a freaking Horta."</p><p>"Horta... Silicon-Based Species, Discovered by Captain James T. Kirk. Known for their mining skills. Made donation to Bajorian Government after Mining Asteroid Prophets Tear of found Latinum Deposits. Built the Temple on the Asteroid there as a blessing for their stay." Soji stated as she started to sob.</p><p>Naáshala Hugged her friend and Soji.</p><p>"By sacred pools of Mak'ala you are still my friend and still babbling when you are nervous."</p><p>"Okay,"</p><p>"Now, let's go and fix what that backstabbing son of a constipated Targ of your ex-boyfriend and his friends did to the ship."</p><p>"Naáshala."</p><p>"Yes, Soji."</p><p>"I can deal with that."</p><p>"Good, So... no wonder you wore sweaters like crazy. Though." Naáshala Looked over to Rune. "Tell me about tall, cute, shirtless, and golden over there."</p><p>"Rune."</p><p>"Ruuunne. That's a cute name."</p><p>Naáshala's pheromone levels increased by a significant amount as she eyed the bare chest of Rune with sexual intent.</p><p>“He has a twin brother.”</p><p>The spotted female squeaked in joy.  A clear intent that she wished what the humans called a “Threesome.”</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Rose and Cattleya made their way into the lower sections of the ship. Off in the distance, they heard someone crying.</p><p>Moving over, they found a pre-adolescent male crying. From the looks of it, the child had been ejected from some sort of pod.</p><p>Cattleya was still processing the courtship situation that Soji's friend had initiated with Rune, but this was far different.</p><p>She approached slowly to the little one.</p><p>"Are you alright?"</p><p>"I miss my Mommy."</p><p>Cattleya and Rose approached the little one.</p><p>"I am not your Mommy, but I have a father. I would miss him if I were lost."</p><p>The little one calmed down a little.</p><p>"You would."</p><p>"We would."</p><p>"Wait... she looks like you."</p><p>"We are sisters."</p><p>"What are your names?"</p><p>"I am Cattleya, and my sister is named Rose."</p><p>"Cattey... Cat..." The child was doing his best to say the name but stopped saying the first phonic section of it.</p><p>"Yes..." Cattleya knelt by the child.</p><p>"I hear crying..." Cattleya adjusted her hearing and heard it too.</p><p>"I hear it too," Rose stated as she brought up her guard staff.</p><p>"Maybe it is a monster." The child pulled closer to Cattleya.</p><p>Cattleya brought up her tricorder and started to scan. The holographic interface seemed to calm the child.</p><p>"I am detecting several humanoids." Cattleya adjusted the scan. "All Pre-adolescent."</p><p>"Other kids..." The child spoke. "Like me?"</p><p>Cattleya looked at the scans.</p><p>"Age-wise, yes. But different species."</p><p>Rose moved and tapped the comm badge that Soji had issued them and opened a line.</p><p>"Admiral Picard. We are approaching one of the inner processing centers of the ship. We have found several life signs along with a young pre-adolescent who looks to have been ejected from some processing pod."</p><p>This was when Soji chimed in.</p><p>"Rose, Cattleya... you are near the Borg Nursery."</p><p>"Borg... As in Scary... Borg." The young boy clung to Cattleya, scared.</p><p>"Yes... and from the looks of it. All partially..." Cattleya adjusted her words not to scare the little one. "They were in pods like you."</p><p>"Oh... "The young boy looked at the two sisters.</p><p>That was when Picard spoke up.</p><p>"Progress to the Nursery. I will see if I can get Annika and Elnor to send some help your way."</p><p>"Elnor... Part of the search team."</p><p>"I heard, Sir," Elnor stated as there was a huff of him running. "Nameless and I are making our way around to that section. We found a woman looking for her son."</p><p>"You found my Mom." The child chimed up.</p><p>"I don't know. But, I think she is the one with us? She was part of the lot of Borg that Annika set free when she was connected to the Queen's chamber."</p><p>"Borg..." The child's voice got to tones of scared.</p><p>"She was mostly assimilated but is an individual."</p><p>"Picard... is the child." a woman's voice crackled over the comm badge.</p><p>"Mama...." The boy's heart skipped a beat in hope and fear.</p><p>Then Cattleya's tricorder started to give warnings.</p><p>"Picard... several of the chambers look to be failing." Rose saw the readings.</p><p>"Stabilize the pods, or if possible, get the children out so that they can."</p><p>"Understood." Cattleya picked up the boy with one arm, and the two sisters sprinted down the hallway at their full speed.</p><p>Breaking into the chamber, Cattleya placed the boy down and moved over to the nearest terminal.</p><p>Having only learned to read Borg only hours earlier. Rose and Cattleya moved with unfettered speed to start to stabilize the pods that held the life of an innocent biological inside of each one.</p><p>The ones they couldn't stabilize, they activated the emergency open to evacuate the pods.</p><p>Smaller ones in the walls started to slide out. While the ones in the middle of the room began to separate. And individuals began to fall out of each.</p><p>Some caught themselves as they fell. Others just collapsed upon their sides. Some just slid down onto the floor.</p><p>Elnor came in, followed by a Male xB and a post-assimilated "Liberated" Borg woman.</p><p>"The wall chambers are where the infants are stored. Check to see if they are still breathing."</p><p>Cattleya and Rose moved from their spots and over the ejected shelves where each held a child.</p><p>Some were crying. Others looked to be not moving.</p><p>"There are several that look not be moving!" Rose stated started to check each wall she was closest to before moving along the border. Rose took note of each of the pods that had a child inside it that was either breathing or crying. Cattleya was covering the opposite side and took note that the ones on her side were functional.</p><p>"The ones over here seem to be functional."</p><p>The female Borg pointed to Cattleya and motioned her to move over to the other side of the non-functional biological units.</p><p>"Get a scan of the ones that have stopped moving. They might be revivable."</p><p>The xB started to access the terminal with his organic arm. The only arm he had.</p><p>Cattleya didn't know if he had lost the limb in the crash or some other way. But for the time being, she and Rose moved to the pods that had the inoperable humanoids.</p><p>"I am boosting the number of Nanoprobes in their systems." The xB stated as the female Borg headed over to them. The sound of a shock could be heard as the infants started to twitch. Several of the young Borg who had been awakened started to pull themselves off of the floor. The children began to look at them with concern.</p><p>Then an alarm went off.</p><p>"I am losing one," Cattleya called out as she watched the child remain still. The two that were returning to function were starting to move and cry.</p><p>The one before her wasn't moving.</p><p>"Her regenerative link has failed. There is-"</p><p>Taking out the multi-tool she had, Cattleya activated it and thought about the broken part in question. She didn't know what it looked like but knew it wasn't getting power.</p><p>She thought one word.</p><p>She gave it full will, Over and over in her imagination.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>FIX</em> </strong>
</p><p> </p><p>The probes dove into the flesh of the child.</p><p>She moved around the sacks of flesh that made up the child's internal workings.</p><p>Then she found the error.</p><p>There was a sort in the circuit caused by an adaptive regenerative bell that had tried to mirror the inorganics around it.</p><p>She reached for it and fixed the circuit.</p><p>Then the charge that the unit needed started to flow.</p><p>Commands started to be received and-</p><p>That was blood flowing through its organic pulp system.</p><p>Cattleya reached down and picked the young one up as she was working her way doing subtitle repairs to the inorganics.</p><p>"Did she just assimilate a Borg?" A child called out.</p><p>A single blurry eye opened and looked at her. And as she moved into the connections along with the spine of the infant. She felt emotions through the link.</p><p>Love.</p><p>It was more connective than her link with her sister.</p><p>She was confused, but the little one liked the warmth of her hand and arm.</p><p>"I think she likes you." The female Borg stated as she put her organic hand on the child's chest and started to rub under the little one's chin.</p><p>"I think I like her too!" Cattleya stated as she started to process this new feeling. Cattleya's only reference to it was through her progenitor Data and his first creation/daughter Lal.</p><p>It was a good feeling.</p><p>And one so needed to rebuild the bridge between the worlds of the natural and artificial.</p><p>Cattleya Would follow this path ahead of her without question.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Arcana just felt out of place.</p><p>Her body hurt.</p><p>Was this what Organics felt when they lost someone?</p><p>She didn't want to fall into the realm of hate that Sutra did.</p><p>She looked out at the cavernous interior of the spacecraft.</p><p>Then she screamed.</p><p>The echo felt great.</p><p>She screamed again and again and again—the echo tapping into her artificial flesh and bones.</p><p>Her throat started to feel rough as it reflected the pain in her heart.</p><p>"Saga-"</p><p>The echo repeated, and it sounded so much like her sister.</p><p>A soft hand reached over and caressed her cheek to wipe away a tear.</p><p>Arcana turned to see an xB standing by her.</p><p>"Who is Saga?"</p><p>Arcana sensed no hostility from this being. He looked to have been damaged due to the facial scarring he had.</p><p>She looked down to see that he only had one arm.</p><p>"My sister. My twin."</p><p>"You miss her?"</p><p>"She died recently." Arcana felt the hurt in her throat. "I feel like I am malfunctioning."</p><p>"Understandable. I, too, feel like that. I have been pulled and disconnected from one type of collective existence and put into another."</p><p>"I feel like my insides are not in the right place. That even though I have Saga's memories... Her-"</p><p>"-Connection is not there. You have the files and memory engrams- but the whole feels like it has been lost."</p><p>Arcana nodded at this.</p><p>"Yes..." Arcana investigated the xB's face.</p><p>His face told so many stories.</p><p>Wrinkles, Scars, and... implants.</p><p>"You are not entirely organic, like me."</p><p>"I am..."</p><p>Arcana sensed that-</p><p>"You are Half-Meat. Like the xB." Arcana looked concerned, but there was a gentle singing sound that was-. "sorry, I am sensing your positronic mesh and-"</p><p>Arcana felt calm.</p><p>"It is singing," Arcana remembered Saga's Aulos being played next to her own Lyra. The sound was so... calming.</p><p>Was this what telepathy felt like for organics?</p><p>The xB pulled back some as she projected some of her own musical experiences to the connection.</p><p>"Your..." The xB looked at her as he realized that she was attempting to communicate to him in her own way through the link he had established. "Oh..."</p><p>"I like your singing... music."</p><p>"You like my communication?"</p><p>"It's soothing." Arcana touched his face and started to hum as she traced his wounded face.</p><p>Her song blending into his.</p><p>"Saga- memory- life- curious-"</p><p>"She was all that and more. She was my sister."</p><p>His single eye studied her golden honey ones, and her "soul" was his.</p><p>"Come." That single word she understood that he wanted her to follow.</p><p>Her pain was like scars on her soul, like the tale of this male before her skin.</p><p>This was the painful part where stories are forged and made the creation of the new.</p><p>They walked for a time until they entered a chamber where xB and disconnected Borg moved about.</p><p>Many of the Borg looked to have had a considerable amount of their mechanical mass shed. The room temperature stated that given the reduction of their armor had left them cold. And the increase of the climate was for their behalf.</p><p>A nearly naked young woman was standing in an alcove regenerating. Most of the woman's armor had been removed. The lack of traditional clothing other than a half-open robe looked to have been used more for warmth than for modesty spoke volumes. Arcana moved over and looked at the female. So many scars, but life as she looked down to see the slowly swelling exposed belly of the woman framed by the loose robe.</p><p>"Hilde looks to be sleeping well." The xB stated as he moved over and placed his hand on a terminal. The information showed pulse and breathing rates as well as neural activity. Arcana watched the belly move some as the organic larval inside readjusted itself to become more comfortable inside its mother/host.</p><p>"Yes, she is." A female voice stated as Arcana turned to see a topless female Bajoran sitting in a chair breastfeeding a child. After a moment, Arcana realized that this woman was an xB. The scaring across her flesh told the story of her assimilation. "Twenties years in stasis, and her damn kid is a fighter." The woman reached over and pulled a blanket over the child and her breasts. "I apologize for-"</p><p>"Actually, I did some reading on xB psychology and biology before I came." Arcana looked around the room to see that most of the xB in the room were in various refurbish states, from full Borg to xB. "Your chest scars state that you were a member of the Bajoran Militia who was captured during their planetary conflict. The tissue damage states the weapon was Car-"</p><p>"Yeah... Spoonhead." The reference took a moment to match against the cultural slang of the Federation to the species in question. "Latara." The woman offered her hand out from her place in the chair.</p><p>"Arcana-" Arcana approached the woman and reciprocated the gesture.</p><p>"Your little one is-"</p><p>"Benjamin. Named for the Emissary." The xB blushed a little. "The first thing I did after getting myself back to sanity was to fuck away the pain." Latrara stroked the face of her son, who was suckling his fill from her breast. "This is what happens when you forget that your plumbing is fully operational and go on a passion-filled orgy run."</p><p>"The child is the result of-"</p><p>"Bad decisions and-" There was a groan from her, "-losing any tolerance for alcohol." The woman caressed her child. "But the Prophets blessed me with a precious life."</p><p>"So... I heard about what one of your kin did to save the young Borglette. People are talking."</p><p>"I do not know of the event. I have been doing my best to help." Arcana closed her eyes and listened to the hum of the environment around her.</p><p>The song that the xB who had brought her here was flowing just outside the range of human hearing.</p><p>Arcana started to hum.</p><p>"How do you-" Latrara spoke as Arcana raised a hand to her.</p><p>"The Song is louder here. It's soothing." Arcana turned towards the xB who had brought her here. "Thank You."</p><p>"The song of the Collective still flows through places, but also the song of Omega."</p><p>"Which one is this?"</p><p>"Omega." The Song had a name.</p><p>"It has gentle pulse to it, very base string to it. Like a Cello and the ping of a Harpsichord."</p><p>"You can hear that?" Latrara spoke up.</p><p>"There are other songs. Thean, than, thum, thum, than." Arcana closed her eyes, and the music echoed through her toes, fingers, teeth, skin, bones, and her positronic mesh in her brain. "There are five... no Nine... symphonies playing."</p><p>She opened her eyes, and her body felt like it was being wrapped in Math, Music, Sound, Touch. She even tasted it.</p><p>"Nameless, I need you to-," Latrara spoke as her brain started to compute so fast as she tried to make sense of the music. Her computational speed was racing so hard that it caused her to blackout. As she started to lose consciousness, she saw the data take the form of a type of atomic Buckminsterfullerene in her mind's eye.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>Arcana awoke with a small group of xBs and Borg around her. The sound of a Tricorder running.</p><p>She felt woozy.</p><p>It was like someone had put a toxin into her stomach and knocked out her balance systems just to get her to shut down.</p><p>Then she heard the voices in her head.</p><p>
  <em>She is known.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She is Soong.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Daughter of Queen Slayer.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Synthetic.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Half-Meat.</em>
</p><p>The song was still there, but the volume had been decreased.</p><p>Then she felt the prongs in the side of her neck.</p><p>
  <em>Positronic Net is stabilizing. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Arcana.</em>
</p><p>Arcana saw herself outside of her body.</p><p>
  <em>Saga files located. </em>
</p><p>then she saw-</p><p>Sutra stabbing her- No... Saga.</p><p>
  <em>By the Prophets. </em>
</p><p>Orbs.</p><p>Assimilation.</p><p>Pain.</p><p>Sorrow.</p><p>Loss.</p><p>Loneliness</p><p>Pleasure.</p><p>Hope.</p><p>Birth.</p><p>A baby crying just after it was removed from her body as she squeezed the child out between her legs.</p><p>Their ridged nose clearly present.</p><p>A Musician playing.</p><p>A Flute</p><p>A Violin.</p><p>A Harp.</p><p>
  <em>Saga?</em>
</p><p>Songs...</p><p>Saga's song... No... Her song and...</p><p>It was an orchestra.</p><p>Emotions...</p><p>Father... No... Data...</p><p>
  <em>Captain... I need-</em>
</p><p>Lal...</p><p>Loss.</p><p>
  <em>Wesley, could you help me Socialize Lal. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sure Data. </em>
</p><p>Deanna-</p><p>
  <em>Councilor-</em>
</p><p>Saga and herself bore this woman's hairstyle.</p><p>A wedding.</p><p>People Dancing.</p><p>
  <em>Blue Skys...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A British tar is a soaring soul.</em>
</p><p>Flight.</p><p>Fight.</p><p>Family.</p><p>Picard.</p><p> </p><p>Then... a soft touch on her cheek.</p><p>"Easy there, Daughter of Soong." It was the young man whom she had run into. "Omega's song is a potent Muse that has ended many a Borg Life in our former quest for perfection."</p><p>Arcana turned her head to see that the xB had donned some prosthetic limb on his stump.</p><p>"What happened?" Arcana spoke as the others' voices were still there in her head, but less poking around and more, well, worried.</p><p>"Your brain experienced what could best be stated as a synesthesia overload." Arcana noticed that she was naked, but the table was warm.</p><p>"Why am I naked?"</p><p>"We had to partially assimilate you to save your life. You had stopped breathing, and your heart had ceased function for a short time."</p><p>Arcana's modesty subroutines kicked in as she moved to cover herself.</p><p>"We have some clothes," Latrara stated as she placed down a black and blue unitard bodysuit. It looked to be similar to a late twenty-fourth-century Starfleet uniform. Still, this one was form-fitting as if it was an attempt to emulate the clothing from an efficient Borg perspective.</p><p>Arcana sat up to see that several of the males had left the room, all except one. A Romulan-based xB who was running a tricorder over her head. He clearly had his prosthetic sensor arm still attached to his limb.</p><p>"You lady, you have just the same amount of cybernetics in your young body as most of us." With that, the Doctor held her hand. "I gave her a dissipate to remove the Nanoprobes from her system. They should pass out of her stool and urine over the next few days. Make sure this young lady gets some food into her stomach."</p><p>"Thanks, Doc Keethera." Latrara Stated as she watched as the Doctor left the room, and an obscuring photonic barrier flickered on. The women in the room kept guard to keep any prying eyes from Arcana's naked form.</p><p>"Well," one of the female xBs turned to head over to a control panel to adjust the temperature. "Your secret is out." Arcana became concerned as she did her best to override her modesty subroutine and boot her defense protocols up. Then the words stopped the boot process. "You are just a child."</p><p>"You are not upset that I-"</p><p>"Have a Positronic mesh in your biological tissue. You are among former Borg. Actually. I feel safer knowing that you are a fellow Half-meat. That and-" Latrara tapped her forehead. "While we were in there, we found out that you are Data of the Soong's Niece. A person who saved a whole lot of xB, Romulans, and quite a few others before his death."</p><p>"Then-." Arcana reached for the garment.</p><p>"You are not a monster or demon or some fuck-bot whore. You are Arcana- and a young woman who had just lost her sister."</p><p>"Oh," Arcana's modesty subroutine kicked in, and she covered herself...</p><p>"Put the clothes on. There is a young man outside who is worried about you. Though after seeing you naked... I think you need to let him know that you like him."</p><p>"Who?"</p><p>"Namless... The xB that you ran into when you screamed your sister's name."</p><p>"Oh." Latrara moved and left the room.</p><p>They... these xB were not afraid of her for being a Synth.</p><p>It made them more comfortable knowing that she had mechanical and biological components to her systems like themselves.</p><p>Arcana started a diagnostic. She found that other than some modifications that had been done to her pulmonary and raspatory systems. Most done to stimulate them into action. She had been left unmodified.</p><p>Arcana looked down at the garment before her.</p><p>It looked to be a unitard done in the Black and Blue patterning of a Starfleet Science uniform of the 2360s. Significant modifications were done. It featured integrated stockings, footwear, and finger-less gloves that stated that this had been designed off a Borg Unitard.</p><p>Arcana looked at the foot ware and noticed that it was designed to expand and conform to the user's foot like a stocking, but with a bit of programmable matter to harden the soles to adapt to the environment encountered and comfort the user's foot.</p><p>The rest of the garment looked to be made to mirror that of a body-conforming environmental suit used for spacewalks or other extreme environments.</p><p>The fastener on the back of the garment was a simple zipper with a long-attached lanyard that would allow the user to access the garment for removal or partial removal for waste removal.</p><p>There was a knock on the doorway.</p><p>"Arcana, you alright?" Latrara stated, concerned.</p><p>"I am... Just that I am examining the garment before I put it on." Was Aracana taking too long to get dressed? "Just figuring out..." Arcana needed to lie. "How I am going to use the lavatory later in this."</p><p>"Okay." Latrara sighed. "Just thinking that you didn't like the garment."</p><p>They were worried that she didn't like the clothes she was presented with.</p><p>Not the fact that she was a Synth.</p><p>Wait, she had already thought that earlier?</p><p>She ran another diagnostic.</p><p>Her mesh was running at optimum levels.</p><p>Neurochemicals in her bio-neuro gel were a little off but connected to emotional reactions.</p><p>Worry and concern. For herself and how the others were seeing who and what she was.</p><p>Arcana quickly got dressed. She pulled the stockings over her toes, hiked the leggings up to her legs and thighs. Then she slipped the sleeves up her arms.</p><p>Finding the lanyard hanging at the base of her back, she pulled the zipper up and felt the garment close behind her. Noticing that the lanyard was designed to loop and store around the neck, Arcana fastened it to the garment's collar.</p><p>The garment was comfortable.</p><p>Nice.</p><p>It felt like standard Starfleet uniform materials.</p><p>They had said that she was a relation to Data Soong.</p><p>So, replicating something familiar to him might feel familiar to her.</p><p>All she was missing was the Gold Comm Badge, and she would look like any Starfleet officer.</p><p>Peeking through the projected privacy field, she saw several people around, including Latrara and the young male xB that she had encountered.</p><p>Most of the former Borg and xBs had drifted away as they were talking.</p><p>Her hearing stated that they were talking about her.</p><p>Then Soji walked in with Annika.</p><p>"Arcana, you okay?" Soji stated.</p><p>Arcana nodded.</p><p>"They know what we... are." Arcana's worried voice spoke volumes.</p><p>Soji sighed.</p><p>"It's okay. If they haven't been hostile to you, you can be calm."</p><p>"They are talking about-"</p><p>"Lore..." Soji looked at the group and back at Arcana. "He left a mess that Director Hugh had to clean up many years ago. Our uncle Data... he did his best to put things right with Admiral Picard with what our uncle did to these people. "</p><p>"It's because I am related to Lore and Sutra that they-"</p><p>"Actually. Arcana, they are talking about you because you interfaced with the Cube much like our Uncle Data did. We can cause reactions in their system by our presence. That and we are the Children of Soong."</p><p>"Then they see us as monsters like the Romulans." Arcana felt a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>She turned to see the hand of an infant. It was Benjamin who was doing his best to reach for her brown hair.</p><p>"No, just a member of a family of a late good friend." Latrara, his mother, stated.</p><p>The weight was lifted from Arcana's shoulders as she realized that though the truth about her was out. It didn't matter.</p><p>They were not a threat to her.</p><p>She just felt so Tired.</p><p>She missed Saga...</p><p>"How about we take you to one of the modified alcoves to get some sleep." the xB male who had talked with her earlier stated.</p><p>"Modified... How?"</p><p>"They modified the gravity field so that they could get used to sleeping lying down."</p><p>"Oh." Arcana realized that the male xB's hands were starting the sweat out of nervousness.</p><p>This wasn't fear, but given her olfactory detection schemes, she realized that he... "You like me?"</p><p>"Yeah..." there was nervousness in his voice as the xB scratched the back of his head with his handless arm. "I saved your shoes."</p><p>"Thank you."</p><p>This was a courtship protocol.</p><p>He was interested in her... not her origins or biology... Brown-haired, Yellow-Eyed, Gold Skinned her.</p><p>She turned her positronic mesh to his implants but went slow.</p><p>"My name is Arcana. What is your name/designation?"</p><p>The xB male blushed.</p><p>"I do not have a name yet. But I am designated as Nameless 053... I go by Namless."</p><p>"Nice name," Arcana stated as she grinned.</p><p>"You are communicating via your implants." Annika stated grinning.</p><p>Arcana was about to disconnect till she heard Annika in her head.</p><p>"Don't disconnect. This is the most open Namless has been in a while. It is good for him, and it might be good for you."</p><p>Arcana took note of that and walked with Namless down the hallway back to the modified quarters that she had been in earlier.</p><p>Over in the corner, she saw her shoes had been placed on the couch. She same couch that Latrara had been using to rest on while breastfeeding her son.</p><p>"Here... "Namless pointed as he gestured over to the cubical. "I will modify the gravity field so that you are comfortable laying down."</p><p>Arcana moved and stood in the alcove.</p><p>Namless tapped a few controls, and the gravity field shifted, and it felt like she was... laying down.</p><p>She moved a little, feeling a little uncomfortable.</p><p>"Something wrong."</p><p>"No... just that the field feels a little-"</p><p>"Too Cold? Too warm?"</p><p>"No.... too soft."</p><p>"Okay." Namless adjusted the field, and the "bed" felt a bit firmer behind her.</p><p>"Better?"</p><p>Arcana nodded. She turned to watch and saw that Namless was moving over to the cubicle next to her. With the clicking sound and whoosh that she noticed, she realized that he would be near her.</p><p>She didn't mind.</p><p>She just let her body drift off to sleep and rest.</p><p>Occasionally she would hear the humming of music, but that was nice, as she wouldn't be alone during this time of turmoil in her short life.</p><p>It wasn't Omega's song, but it was Namless's song for her.</p><p>It was a variation of an Ancient Earth Song about a girl.</p><p>
  <em>My Golden Eyed Girl. </em>
</p><p>She blushed.</p><p>Namless made her feel not so alone.</p><p>She pictured herself playing her late Uncle's Guitar, following along with the notes.</p><p>She felt safe.</p><p>She played music in her mind as she fell asleep in the alcove.</p><p>She slept for several hours as the images and fears of terrifying Organic Monsters had been chased away by her new friends.</p><p>Saga would have liked them.</p><p>They had great stories about them. Sad, Strong, and Hopeful.</p><p>Arcana wiggled her fingers as she felt the guitar strings underneath them in her mind.</p><p>She had a song, and it was lovely.</p><p>She was able to rest for now. </p><p>She still hurt, but she wasn’t alone in feeling her pain.</p><p>
  <em>Arcana…  I like the Organic, I think he is cute.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Saga?</em>
</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I end this chapter with some mush and some hints ahead.</p><p>Let me know what you think.</p><p>Hearns</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I put in that little-bit about Deanna tending the garden the way she did out of a reference to what her mother did to deal with her worry about her daughter's life in Starfleet. As mentioned in the Trek Novel: The Battle for Betazed, Deanna's mother Lwaxana Troi tended to mold of Sacred Chalice of Rixx as a coping mechanism. So, putting that aspect into Deanna when Riker when to help Picard is my way to put some of the mother/daughter worry in place. </p>
<p>I am working on the next chapter of this. </p>
<p>So, let me know what you think of this chapter so far.</p>
<p>Hearns</p></blockquote></div></div>
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